Means for connecting and disconnecting large-caliber gun-barrels to and from their slides.



E. SCHNEIDER MEANS FOR CONNECTING AND DISCONNECTING LARGE CALIBER GUN BARRELS TOAND FROM THEIR SLIDES. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 6, I917.

Patented July 22, 1919.

7 SHEETS-SHEET I.

IlllllllIllIlII IIN I THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON, D. c.

E. SCHNE A MEANS FOR CONNECTING AND DISCONNECTING LARGE CALIBER GUN BARRELS TO AND I FROM THEIR SLIDES.

APP L|CA T|0N FILED AUG- 61 I917- Patented July 22, 1919.

ISHEETS-SHEET 2- E. SCHNEIDER. MEANS FOR CONNECTING AND DISCONNECTING LARGE CALIBER. GUN BARRELS TO AND mom THEIR sums. APPLICATION FILED AUG 6, I911- Patented July 22, 1919.

7SHETS-SHET 3 THB COLUMBIA PMNQGRAPH C0-. WASHINGTON, D- C.

I E. SCHNEIDER. N MEANS FOR CONNECTING AND DISCONNECTING LARGE CALIBER GUN BARRELS TO AND FROM THEIR SLIDES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG- 6, I917.

7SHEETS-SHEET 4.

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 90., WASHINdMN. D. c.

E. SCHNEIDER. MEANS FOR coumzcnm; AND DISCONNEGTING LARGE CALIBER GUN BARRELS TO AND FROM THEIR SLIDES.

APPLICATION FIL'ED AUG. 6. 1917.

Patented July 22, 1919.

ISHEETS-SHEET 5 Ill Ill E. SCHNEIDER. MEANS FOR CONNECTING AND DISCONNECTING LARGE CALIBER GUN BARRELS TO AND FROM THEIR SLIDES/ APPLICATION FILED AUG. 6. I917- Patented July 22, 1919.

a 7 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0.. WASHINGTON. 01 C.

E. SCHNEIDER. MEANS FOR CONNECTING AND DISCONNECTING LARGE CALIBER GUN BARRELS T0 AND FROM THEIR SLIDES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 6, 1917- 1,3 1 0,883. i Patented July 22, 1919.

TSHEETS-SHEET 1.

11m L'OLUMIIIA PLANOGRAPII co., WASHINGTON. n. c.

To all whom it may concern:

necting Large-Caliber Gun-Barrels to and UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

tream SCHNEIDER, or LE ,CREUZOT, mm, assrsuon TO scnnnmnn & 01s., or

PARIS, manor ammrnnaomrsroox COMPANY or FRANCE.

MEANS ronoo vnsorme AND msoo muc'rmc LARGE-CALIBER. GUN- AnnELs r0 AND 1 FROM THEIR'SLIDES. j r

9 Be it known that LEUGENE SCHNEIDER, a citizen of the French Republic, and aresident ofLe Creuzot, Sa6ne et-Loire,France, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Means for Connecting and Disconfrom Their Slides, which invention is fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention has for its. obj ect to provide improved means for connecting and disconnecting a large caliber gun barrelto and from its slide. j i

j The improved means consistsessentially in a cross shaft journaled at both ends in the gunslide, and formedwith opposite screw-threads along which two nuts can. be

caused to travel by the rotation of the said i j thegun slide, and C 1s a cradle of any suitable shape and construction journaled n a shaft produced by means of a key orany other suitable device, these two nuts being shaped in such a manner that by the coopera- .tion between them and fore. and aft lower projections onthe-gun barrel between which {said nuts are moved,the' following operat ions can be effected successively and alternately:

1. The gun barrel is moved forward; lowered and engaged with its slide for the purpose of looking the gun in place; and 2; Theagun barrel is'raisedand at the same time disengaged from its slide and then moved back for the purpose of unlocking the gun barrel... v i

The herei before described embodiment of this invention which is given solely by way of example, comprises in addition a safetydevicefor preventing any untimely rotation of the screw-threaded cross shaft, and consequently any: untimely shifting of thenuts. i Q

In. the accompanying drawings which illustrate this constructional example a Figure 1 is aside elevation ofthe: gun barrel with its slide showing the application ofthe present invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken along the axis of the gun barrel showing the gun barrel engaged with its slide.

' r Fig. 3 isa cross section on the line -III IIIof Fig. 2. j i i Fig. 4'is a partial horizontal section on Fig. 5 is a partial section on the line V- V of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 isapartial section along the axis 7 Specification bi Letters Patent. Patented July 22, 19 19. Application filed August 6,1917% Serial No. 184,660. Y i

a the screw-threaded shaft. In Fig. 6 I

the safety bolt is assumed to have been rotated through-90 from the position shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 "s a partial sectional elevation of the lower part of thegunbarrel, showing more" particularly the supporting andengaging projections and they bearing. surfaces with which the gun barrelis provided.

Fig. 8 is a vertical cross section similar .to Fig. 3,showing the gun barrel in position on the nuts at the beginning of the connecting operation. W

"Fig.c9-is a corresponding partial horizontal section on the line IX- IX of Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the two nuts in their relative positio'n'to each other.

In these figu'res,.A isthe gun barrel,B 1s

mount or gun carriage D.

The means for conneotingthe. gunbarrel A toits slide B may comprise in the usual manner a series of ribs a formed on the gun barrel, adapted to engage with corresponding groves 72 formed inwthe slide, in comfmatter of this invention has for its object to effect rapidly and conveniently the connection of the gun barrel with its sl de, whileinsuring a firm support for thegun.

- It also has for its object to allow of undoing the connection between the gun barrel and The improved means comprises ,a cross shaft E journaled at itstwo ends in the gun slide B. Inthe example shown, one of the endslE is journaled directly in the slide or in a removable plug of any. suitable shape.

The: other end E? isjournaled in a bearing F of peculiar construction screwed in the. slide. When the slide is run out into posltion ffor firing thegun, the said bearing comes opposite an aperture C in the slide through whichan operating key can be introduced and removed. p

E is formed on the two sides of itsslide by a simple and rapid operation.re quiring only a minimum of effort.

' nuts working on thesescrew-threads. These the longitudinal axial plane of, the slide,

with two opposite screw-threads 22,0. "G are nuts are arrangedto be moved away from and toward each other according to the direction of the rotation imparted to the shaft E. For this purpose these nuts are formed with a flat lower supporting face G hearing upon the fiat bottom-.tBPOf the) slide; The nuts also have a forward vertical flat face G bearingupon the bottom B 1 of-a lodgment in the slide. y These nutshave eachlan upperboss Hand a rearlateral boss I. These bosses are shaped to serve as supports 'to bearing surfaces formedon the gunbarrel, in such a manner that by the coeperation between these bosses and fore and aft lower projections or stops J and K respectively of the gun barrel between which the nuts are adapted to move, themovements necessary for connecting and disconnecting the gun barrel to and from. its slide are produced alternately. v

To effeetthe connection of the gun barrel with itssli'de, the gun barrel is brought-on. to

the slide by'JDQfl-IIS of'the Windlass Linto the desired position'such that the lower horizontal supporting surface A shall bear as shown in Fig. 8, upon the flatv faces H of the bosses H ofthe nuts, and that-the rear supporting surfaces A shall abut against the vertical faces 2' of t'he bosses I ig. 9). The gun barrel is thus held in a super-elevated; position by its rollers resting 'on. the slide, at a height corresponding .to the depth of the groove 6, and behind its position of connection.

The projections J'are formed under the gun barrel at a suitable distance apart,-so as to be located one on each side of the nuts when. the latter are closeup together. 7

Then by operating the shaft E- in the direction of the arrows (Figs. 8- and 9 the nuts will move away from each other without rotating. The forward oblique faces h ofv the bosses I-I' will bear against the similarly inclined oblique projections j of the gun barrel, this being the case as soon as the the axis of'the gun barrel on the bosses I, have moved away from the supporting surface A Owing to this support between the faces 72.

i and j, the gun barrel will'be moved forward by the thrust of the nuts. 'When, by the separating movement of the nuts, the faces, h

tions J, the inclined faces H 'of the upper bosses H will come opposite tofthe correspondingly inclined bearing surfaces A of -Figs. 8 and 9.. 'The shaftEmaybe operated by means of weight aided by the pressure exerted by the rear bosses I, by means of their inclined faces 2' upon the similarly inclined faces ]a of the rear projection Kof the gun barrel. The parts assume finally the positions shown in Figs. 3 and 4 where the nuts have been moved the maximum distance'apart and engage by means of their bosses between the projections JJ and KK of the gun barrel.

or connection, it isdesired" to disconect the gun barrel from its slide, it is sufiicient to rotate the shaft E in theoppositedirection (the direction of the arrowsshown in Figs.

duce in! the first place by their inclined faces Htsliding over the supporting surfaces A of the gun barrel, a rising; movement of the gun barrel equal to theheight of the ribs (1.

At theend of this rising movement, the

gun barrel rests again with. its supporting surfaces A upon the horizontal flat bearing surfaces H ofzthe bosses'H.

As-soon as the inclines H have moved parts have resumed the positions shown in an ordinary key M, such.- as that. shown in inversely, if on starting from a position away from the corresponding inclines-A of 19.5 thegunbarrel, the inclined faces 71 of the bosses. I, in movingparallel; to themselves, push the gun barrel rearward, by abutting against the similarly inclined. supporting "surfaces'A of'the gun barrel, and until the Fig.- 8, adapted to engagewith a=siX-sidedl head E 'formed' on a: pro ectingportion of the-journal E In the constructional example shown,

this invention comprises a safety device for preventing any untimely rotation of the screw-threaded shaft E. This safety device --'is illustrated more particularly in Figs. 3-,. 5 6 and 8. bearing surfaces 2' formed at right angles to The nut F that forms a bearing for the journal E comprises a chamber F corre sponding in radius-and in height to the length and thickness of the arms N fof a "spring bolt, thestem N and spring of which *arelocated'ina recess in the shaft E. These arms N ere adaptedflto slide in grooves 6 formed in the head E move away from the faces j'of the projec tween' the said projections, and the bolt is prevented, from moving out by a washer O fixed to the nut.

The ends of the arms N are thus imprisoned between two projections 'F as 1 0 shown in Figs. 3, and 6, so that any rotation of the shaft E is thereby prevented.

When it is desired to rotate the shaftE,

the bolt is pushed inward by means of the key M, whereby the arms N are brought into the chamber F wherein they are able to rotate freely (Fig. 8).

What I claim is i 1.' In means for connecting and disconnecting a large caliber gun barrel to and from its slide, the combination; with said slide, of supporting surfaces on said gun barrel, fore and aft depending stops on said i gunbarrel, a cross shaft journaled at both ends in said slide, having two Opposite screwthreads and two nuts capable of axial, but

not of rotational motion, engaging respectively with said screw-threads, having upper bosses for cooperating with said supporting gun surfaces, and lateral bosses for cooperating with said fore and aft stops, whereby by rotating said cross shaft in one directlon so asto move said nuts away from each other, the gun barrel is moved forward,

lowered and engaged with its cradle, while by rotating said cross shaft in the opposite direction so as to move the nuts toward each other, the gun barrel is raised, moved back and disengaged from its cradle.

52. In means for connecting and discon- Gopies of this patent may be obtained for necting a large caliber gun barrel to and from its slide, the combination with said sllde, of supporting surfaces on sald gun barrel, fore and aft depending stops on said gun barrel, a cross shaft journaled at both ends in said slide, having two opposite screw-threads and two nuts capable of axial, but not of rotational motion, engaging respectively with said screw-threads, having upper bosses for cooperating with "said supporting gun surfaces, and lateral ofsaid locking member in engagement with said stop, whereby said cross shaft is prevented from rotating so long as said head is engaged with said stop, but can be rotated when said head is pushed back out of engagement with said stop by means of a rotating key in opposition to the action of said spring.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

EUGENE SCHNEIDER.

five cents each, addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

